Spooler type winder



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SPCOLER TYPE WINDER Filed March 28, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. h {g/M C. Tro s t ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,121,541 SE'OGLER TYPE WINDER Wayne C. Trust, Rockford, IlL, assignor to Barber- Colrnan Company, Rockford, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Mar. 28, 1963, Ser. No. 268,751 6 claims. c1. 242-ss.s

This invention relates to machines for winding thread from a plurality of relatively small supply packages or bobbins onto a larger package which may be cylindrical or conical and hereinafter is referred to as a cheese. More particularly, the invention pertains to winders of the Barber-Colman type disclosed in Patent No. 2,757,874, in which a tying unit or so-called traveler including a knotter moves along a horizontal path past successive side-by-side winding units by which threads from associated supply bobbins are wound onto rotary cores to form cheeses. Each winding unit includes a carrier for rotatably supporting a cheese in a winding position in contact with a winding drum disposed between the cheese and the bobbin and having a helical groove therein for traversing the thread back and forth along the cheese, the carrier being movable outwardly and away from the drum transversely thereof into a tying position when the thread of the associated bobbin breaks or becomes eX hausted. In passing each winding unit, the traveler rotates the cheese reversely to find the thread end and provide slack for the knotting operation, unites the found thread end with the thread of a reserve bobbin, initiates rotation of the cheese to take up the slack, and shifts the cheese back to the winding position in contact with the winding drum to resume the winding.

If the tied thread is returned to active engagement with the traversing groove while the cheese is rotating slowly, the cheese is formed with a loose, looping wind which is conducive to sloughing of the thread when it eventually is unwound from the cheese. To avoid this problem, one approach has been to catch the released threads and hold the same out of active engagement with the groove until the cheeses have been accelerated substantially. This approach, however, has not provided a satisfactory solution to the problem because each thread tends to pile up in a circular wind or ribbon on one area of the cheese, such circular winds also being conducive to sloughing of the thread during unwinding.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide, in a traveler-type winder, mechanism for catching each thread released by the knotter and, while holding the thread out of active engagement with the associated traversing groove, traversing the thread along the cheese at a positively controlled rate thereby to insure the spacing apart of successive turns of the thread during acceleration of the cheese.

Another object is to provide a single thread catching and traversing mechanism for serving a plurality of winding units.

A further object is to lead the threads positively along the cheese in a rearward direction relative to the traveler motion thereby further reducing the tendency to slough off during unwinding.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through a winder incorporating the novel features of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 with parts broken away and shown in section.

3,121,541 Patented Feb. 18, 1964 FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional View taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side elevational view showing the different positions of the thread relative to successive cheeses, Winding drums, and the delay mechanism.

FIGS. 5 through are schematic end views of the cheese, the winding drum, and the delay mechanism illustrating successive positions of the thread.

As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the invention is incorporated in a winder of substantially the same construction as that disclosed in the aforesaid patent to which reference may be had for further details. In general, individual winding units 16 are mounted on and spaced along a frame 11 having an overhanging top 12 supporting a traveler 13 which is advanced along a horizontal path past successive winding units by a motor (not shown) turning a pinion 14 (P16. 1) on the traveler meshing with a rack 15 rigid with the frame.

Each winding unit includes an upright arm or carrier 17 carrying a rotatable core on which a thread 18 drawn from an active supply bobbin 19 in a magazine 20 below the core is wound to form a larger package herein shown as a conical package 21 and referred to as a cheese.

Such winding takes place when the cheese is in engagement with a continuously rotated drum 22 disposed between the cheese and the bobbin and formed with a helical groove 23 which receives the thread and traverses the same back and forth along the cheese. The cheese core is journaled on an arm 24 projecting generally horizontally from and fulcrumed at 25 on the upper end of the carrier which is pivoted at 27 on the frame to permit the cheese to be carried transversely of the drum from the winding position A shown in full in FIG. 1 through an intermediate braking position B shown by the dotted outline and on to a tying position C shown by dot-dash lines.

As fully described in the aforesaid patent, the cheese carrier 1'7 is moved to tl e braking position upon release of a latch 28 in response to exhaustion or breaking of the thread 18 and is moved to the tying position by the passing traveler which carries a knotter 29 such as that disclosed in Patent No. 1,657,407, and an end-finding roll 39 of the type disclosed in detail in Patent No. 2,053,286. The end-finding roll engages the cheese in the tying position and rotates the same in a direction to unwind a length of thread which passes over and is drawn into a suction tube 31 (FIG. 2) at the rear of the roll. The suction tube holds the end of the thread as the latter is pulled into the knotter and tied to the thread 32 of a bobbin 33 in the reserve position shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 through 7, the upper end of the reserve thread being held in a clamp 34 offset to the right of the active thread position. A second reversely rotating roll 35 (FIG. 2) pays 01f slack during the knotting operation, and a third, socalled rise roll 37, positioned to engage the cheese after the knotter releases the thread, is rotated in a direction to take up the slack in the thread and start drawing thread from the bobbin. The rolls 35 and 37 are set in a horizontal guard plate 38 as shown most clearly in FIGS. 1 and 4 and are rotated by a horizontal drive shaft 39 (FIGS. 2 and 3) journaled on the traveler and rotated by the traveler motor.

To keep the thread taut and avoid twisting or kinking of the slack portion as the thread is released by the knotter 29, a tubular slack take-up arm 40 (FIGS. 1 and 4) is fulcrumed on the traveler 13 at 41 to rock in a vertical plane with a suction mouth 42 formed in its free upper end positioned to draw the slack into the interior of the arm in the form of a loop 43 (FIG. 4) as soon as the thread is released by the knotter. The end-finding tube 31 and the interior of the arm 40 communicate through a pipe 44 (FIG. 1) with a suitable vacuum source on the traveler.

'the packages during the period of delay.

As the traveler 13 passes the winding unit it the upper end of the slack take-up arm 40 swings in the direction opposite the movement of the traveler but at the same speed to remain stationary and generally centered with respect to the cheese 21. When the arm is in its rearmost position, rotation of the cheese by the rise roll 37 draws the slack loop 43 out of the arm which releases the thread to fall toward the winding drum 22. A stripper plate 45 (FIG. 2) is provided to assist in pulling the loop from the arm. Finally, the carrier 17 is cammed reversely to shift the cheese back to the winding position A and bring its periphery into driving engagement with the top of the drum 22 to be accelerated thereby.

As previously stated, it is desirable to catch each tied thread and delay active engagement thereof with the associated traversing groove 23 until the cheese 21 achieves a relatively high speed or rotation thereby to avoid a loose, uncontrolled wind during acceleration of the cheese. As a result of such delay, however, it has been found that the threads Wind in ribbons on one area of Where the threads approach packages such as cylindrical cheeses along paths generally perpendicular to the package axes, the ribbons are formed as soon as the packages begin to rotate. On the other hand, where the threads approach the packages at angles other than ninety degrees with the axes thereof, as is the case with cones wound on the illustrative Barber-Colman winder, the threads run at an uncontrolled rate toward the noses of the cones until they are disposed in a plane perpendicular to the cone axis. In this position, the threads stop and Wind in ribbons on the cones.

In accordance with the present invention, the threads not only are caught and held away from the winding drums until the packages are accelerated, but also are traversed along the packages at a positively controlled rate while being held away from the winding drums. Thus, successive turns of each thread are spaced apart axially of the associated package. Moreover, a single thread catching-and traversing mechanism is mounted on the traveler to serve all the winding units of the winder.

To these ends, the mechanism includes an elongated member 47 mounted on the traveler 13 and projecting rearwardly from the knotter '29 in position to intercept the threads released by the knotter, and means is provided to move each thread positively along the member toward the rear end thereof at a rate different from the speed of'the traveler relative to the cheese, therebyleading the thread positively along the cheese. While the member 47 may take various forms, herein it is a horizontal shaft disposed in a plane between the winding drum 22 and the cheese 21 in the tying position and journaled adjacent its forward end in spaced bushings 48 (FIG. 2) telescoped into a rearwardly opening bore 49 in a horizontal bar '50 fast on the traveler somewhat below the level of the underside of the cheese in the tying position. The forward portion 51 of the shaft is of reduced diameter, forming a forwardly facing shoulder '52, and the forward end projects beyond the bar and is threaded to receive a nut 53 tightened against a washer '54 which abuts against the forward end of the bar. Thus, the nut and the shoulder 52 hold the shaft in a fixed axial position relative to the bar and the traveler.

The means for moving the thread along the shaft preferably comprise a helical groove 55 (see FIG. 2) extending along and around the shaft toward the free rear end of the latter, and power operated mechanism for rotating the shaft in a direction to advance the thread rearwardly along the groove. Herein, the shaft is rotated by the drive shaft 39 and a gear 57 (FIG. 3) fast thereon through an idler gear 48 journaled on the frame and meshing with the drive gear on one side and on the other side with a spur gear 59 fast on the forward portion of the shaft. Thus, the shaft 47 derives its motion from the motion of the traveler, and the speed of rotation of the shaft and the pitch of the groove are correlated with the speed of the traveler through the drive gearing to insure that the rate of advance of the thread along the shaft is different from the speed of the traveler relative to the cheese 21.

With the foregoing arrangement, it will be seen that one catcher 47 serves all of the winding units of the winder and positively co'ntrolsth'e threads to eliminate both loose winding and piling up of the threads on the cheeses. Moreover, the positive drive of the thread traversing means has an additional advantage in that it makes it possible to lead the thread rearwardly away from p the knotter at a rate "greater than the forward speed of the traveler .13 thereby to space successive turns apart rcarwardly along the cheeses, that is, in a direction opposite the direction of traveler motion. A significant advantage results from such a positive rearward lead. As is well known to those skilled in the art, conical packages are wound on machines of this type with the nose of the cone facing rearwardly to the left in FIG. 4. Further,

the thread eventually in unwound from the nose end and,

if successive turns stripping off the cone have been wound from the nose toward the base, one turn slides over the next turn and tends to drag the adjacent turn with it. This further loosens the turn and leads to sloughing and tangling of the thread.

The same problem is encountered when working with cylindrical cheeses. The grooved shaft 47 lays the turns more closely together than the spacing produced at normal Winding speed and these turns may be more loosely Wound than normal turns. If these closely spaced turns were laid from left to right in FIG. 4, there would be a greater tendency to slough as one turn pulled over the next in stripping the thread ofi the cheese. By leading the thread rearwardly, these problems are avoided. Each turn strips off away from the next turn rather than over the turn so sloughing is reduced or eliminated.

The various conditions of the thread during operation of the winder are shown schematically in FIGS. 4 through 10. In FIGS. 1 and 5, the normal winding condition of the thread is shown in which the thread 18 of the active bobbin 19 passes upwardly into the groove 23 and around the winding drum 22 to the cheese 21 which is'dis'posed against and rotated by the drum. The reserve bobbin thread 32 extends upwardly along a path offset to the right from the normal thread path and is held in the clamp 34 with its upper end disposed on the right-hand side of the shaft 47.

When the active thread 18 breaks or is'exhau'sted, the carrier 17 shifts the cheese to the right away from the winding drum and into the braking position B (FIG. 6) where the rotation of the cheese is stopped. Then the passing traveler 13 shifts the cheese farther to the right into the tying position C (FIG. 7), finds thefree end of the thread on the cheese, pays off slack for the tying operation, and ties the end of the thread to the reserve bobbin thread 32. At this time, the tied thread is held by the slack take-up arm '40 and passes over the guard plate 38 and downwardly to the new bobbin 33 which is disposed in the reserve position.

During continued movement of the traveler 13, the reserve bobbin is shifted into the winding position (FIG. 8) and the arm 40 rocks rearwardly to maintain the thread generally centered on the cheese until the arm reaches its rearmost position (E in FIG. 4) where the rotation of the cheese by the rise roll 35 pulls the loop 43 from the arm (FIG. 8). When the thread is released, the arm is generally alined with the rear end of the bar 59 so that the thread shifts laterally into contact with the shaft 47 adjacent the bar. If the thread were released immediately onto the winding drum, the latter would traverse the thread rapidly back and forth while the cheese is turning slowly with the result that a loose, uncontrolled wind would be formed. With the present arrangement, however, the shaft 47 holds the thread out of active engagement with the drum until the cheese reaches a speed high enough to prevent this from occurring.

Usually, the rise roll 35 imparts sufficient momentum to the cheese to cause it to continue rotating slowly after the slack is taken up and to begin stripping thread off the new bobbin. With the thread held away from the winding drum, such winding without traversing tends to form a band or ribbon comprising several truns of the thread wound one upon the other. This is prevented by the groove 55 which picks up the thread and advances it along the shaft at a controlled speed slightly greater than the forward speed of the traveler 13 relative to the cheese 21. Thus, adjacent turns on the cheese are spaced apart a distance determined by the speed of the thread relative to the cheese.

The grooved shaft 47 is long enough to project rearwardly beyond the cheese when the latter is returned to engagement with the winding drum to be accelerated thereby (see FIG. 9), such engagement occurring between positions F and G in FIG. 4. Accordingly, the groove 55 controls the thread while the cheese is achieving substantially normal winding speed. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, the thread need not be held completely out of the traversing groove 23, but only need be held out of active engagement therewith so that the thread is not controlled by this groove.

The pitch of the groove 55 and the length and speed of the shaft 47 are such that the thread remains at all times between the ends of the drum groove 23 and drops off the free shaft end (see *FIG. 4, the position G) before being carried past the end of the groove. It will be seen that the groove serves the additional purpose of exerting a friction drag on the thread thereby increasing the tension on the strand leading onto the cheese.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention solves two important problems in winders of the type including a traveler 13 movable past successive winding units to unite the threads of the cheeses 21 to threads of reserve bobbins 33. First, the catcher shaft 47 delays active engagement of the tied thread with the traversing drum 22 until the cheese is accelerated sufficiently to avoid a loose looping wind and, second, the helical groove 23 advances the thread rearwardly along the cheese at a positively controlled rate to space adjacent turns of the thread apart in a manner which reduces sloughing and tangling of the thread during eventual unwinding. Moreover, these important advantages are obtained with one relatively simple mechanism which is mounted on the traveler and serves all the winding units of the winder.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a winder, the combination of, a frame; a plurality of winding units arranged side by side along said frame and each including a drum rotatable about a horizontal axis and having a helical thread traversing groove therein, and a carrier for rotatably supporting a thread package in a winding position above and in contact with said drum, said carrier being movable relative to the drum in response to breaking of the thread to shift the package into a tying position offset to one side of the drum; a magazine for supporting a bobbin in an active position below the level of the drum with its thread running partially around said drum and onto the package in said winding position and also supporting a second bobbin in a reserve position adjacent said active position with its thread extending upwardly toward said tying position; a traveler movable past successive winding units, said traveler including means operable while passing a thread package in said tying position to find the loose thread end, tie the same to the thread of said second bobbin, release the tied thread for movement toward the drum of the associated unit, and return the package to said winding position to be accelerated by the drum; an enlon gated member mounted on said traveler and extending rearwardly therefrom in a plane between said drum and said reserve thread in position to intercept and hold the latter upon release thereof; and means on said member for moving the thread rearwardly along the member at a positively controlled rate greater than said predetermined traveler speed thereby to move the thread rearwardly relative to the package, the rear end of said member being positioned to release the thread onto said drum after the package has been accelerated substantially.

2. A winder as defined in claim 1 in which said member comprises a shaft journaled at its forward end on said traveler, and said thread-moving means includes a groove extending helically around and along said shaft.

3. A winder as defined in claim 2 in which said threadmoving means further includes power operated mechanism positively rotating said shaft, the speed of rotation of the shaft and the pitch of said groove being correlated with the speed of the traveler to lead the thread rearwardly along the shaft at a speed greater than the traveler speed.

4. In a winder, the combination of, a frame; a plurality of winding units arranged side by side along said frame and each including a drum rotatable about a horizontal axis and having a helical thread traversing groove therein, a carrier for rotatably supporting a thread package in a winding position in contact with said drum and for movement away from the drum to a tying position, and means for stopping rotation of the package in said tying position; a traveler movable along said frame and at a predetermined speed past successive winding units, said traveler including means operable while passing a thread package in said tying position to find the loose thread end, tie the same onto the thread of a bobbin, release the tied thread for movement toward the drum of the associated unit, and return the package to said winding position; and mechanism for catching the tied thread upon release thereof and delaying active engagement with the drum until the package is accelerated, said mechanism comprising a shaft parallel to said axis and rotatably mounted on said traveler to project rearwardly from said tying means in position to intercept the thread, said shaft having a peripheral groove for receiving the released thread and extending helically around and along the shaft toward the free trailing end thereof, and means for rotating said shaft in a direction and at a speed to move the thread along the shaft away from said tying means at a rate greater than said traveler speed, said free shaft end being positioned to release the thread onto the drum after the package has been accelerated.

5. In a Winder, the combination of, a frame; a plurality of winding units arranged side by side along said frame and each including a drum rotatable about a horizontal axis and having a helical thread traversing groove therein, a carrier for rotatably supporting a thread package in a winding position in contact with said drum and for movement away from the drum through a braking position to a tying position, and means for stopping rotation of the package in said braking position; a traveler movable along said frame and at a predetermined speed past successive winding units, said traveler including means operable while passing a thread package in said tying position to find the loose thread end, tie the same onto the thread of a bobbin, release the tied thread for movement toward the drum of the associated unit, and return the package to said winding position to be accelerated by the drum; a member mounted on said traveler and extending rearwardly from said tying means in position to catch the tied thread upon release thereof and delay active engagement with said drum; and means operable during engagement of the thread and said member to traverse the thread along the member at a positively controlled rate greater than said predetermined traveler speed, the rear end of said member being positioned to release the thread onto said drum after the package has been accelerated.

6. In a winder, the combination of, a frame; a plurality of winding units arranged side by side along said frame and each including a drum rotatable about a horizontal 7 axis and having a helical thread traversing groove therein, a carrier for rotatably supporting a thread package in a Winding position in contact With said drum and for movement away from the drum to a tying position, and means for stopping rotation of the package as it moves into said tying position; a traveler movable along said frame and at a predetermined speed past successive Winding units, said traveler including means operable While passing a thread package in said tying position to 'find the loose thread end, tie the same onto the thread of a bobbin, release the tied thread for movement toward the drum of the associated unit, and return the package to said Winding position to be accelerated by the drum; a member mounted on said traveler and extending rearwardly from said tying means in position to intercept the tied thread upon release thereof and delay active engagement of the thread with said drum; and means operable during engagement of the thread with said member to traverse the thread along the package at a positively controlled rate correlated with and different from the speed of said traveler to traverse the thread along the package, the rear end of said member being positioned to release the thread into active engagement with said drum after the package has been accelerated.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,757,874 Marcellus Aug. 7, 1956 3,042,328 Mahoney July 3, 1962 3,065,602 Steele Sept, 25, 1962 

1. IN A WINDER, THE COMBINATION OF, A FRAME; A PLURALITY OF WINDING UNITS ARRANGED SIDE BY SIDE ALONG SAID FRAME AND EACH INCLUDING A DRUM ROTATABLE ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS AND HAVING A HELICAL THREAD TRAVERSING GROOVE THEREIN, AND A CARRIER FOR ROTATABLY SUPPORTING A THREAD PACKAGE IN A WINDING POSITION ABOVE AND IN CONTACT WITH SAID DRUM, SAID CARRIER BEING MOVABLE RELATIVE TO THE DRUM IN RESPONSE TO BREAKING OF THE THREAD TO SHIFT THE PACKAGE INTO A TYING POSITION OFFSET TO ONE SIDE OF THE DRUM; A MAGAZINE FOR SUPPORTING A BOBBIN IN AN ACTIVE POSITION BELOW THE LEVEL OF THE DRUM WITH ITS THREAD RUNNING PARTIALLY AROUND SAID DRUM AND ONTO THE PACKAGE IN SAID WINDING POSITION AND ALSO SUPPORTING A SECOND BOBBIN IN A RESERVE POSITION ADJACENT SAID ACTIVE POSITION WITH ITS THREAD EXTENDING UPWARDLY TOWARD SAID TYING POSITION; A TRAVELER MOVABLE PAST SUCCESSIVE WINDING UNITS, SAID TRAVELER INCLUDING MEANS OPERABLE WHILE PASSING A THREAD PACKAGE IN SAID TYING POSITION TO FIND THE LOOSE THREAD END, TIE THE SAME TO THE THREAD OF SAID SECOND BOBBIN, RELEASE THE TIED THREAD FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD THE DRUM OF THE ASSOCIATED UNIT, AND RETURN THE PACKAGE TO SAID WINDING POSITION TO BE ACCELERATED BY THE DRUM; AN ELONGATED MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID TRAVELER AND EXTENDING REARWARDLY THEREFROM IN A PLANE BETWEEN SAID DRUM AND SAID RESERVE THREAD IN POSITION TO INTERCEPT AND HOLD THE LATTER UPON RELEASE THEREOF; AND MEANS ON SAID MEMBER FOR MOVING THE THREAD REARWARDLY ALONG THE MEMBER AT A POSITIVELY CONTROLLED RATE GREATER THAN SAID PREDETERMINED TRAVELER SPEED THEREBY TO MOVE THE THREAD REARWARDLY RELATIVE TO THE PACKAGE, THE REAR END OF SAID MEMBER BEING POSITIONED TO RELEASE THE THREAD ONTO SAID DRUM AFTER THE PACKAGE HAS BEEN ACCELERATED SUBSTANTIALLY. 